Sweepstakes Poker Sites

If you’re searching for a definitive resource on sweepstakes poker sites, you’ve arrived at the right page. This guide aims to clarify how sweeps poker sites work, where they’re legal, and what prizes you can win.

Sweepstakes poker games offer the opportunity to win real money prizes, and are legal in more than 40 US states. The widespread availability of sites like Global Poker, ClubWPT, Stake.us and Clubs Poker are great options for players looking for legitimate online poker sites in the US

Quick facts: sweeps poker sites

Are sweeps poker sites legal for US poker players?

Yes. Sweepstakes poker sites are legal in more than 40 US states. A sweepstakes poker site falls into the same category as a sweepstakes casino. You don’t directly compete for real money at a sweeps site, but you can compete for sweepstakes credits that can be redeemed for cash prizes.

Sweepstakes poker sites must adhere to specific rules determined by lawmakers in the states in which they operate. For the site to operate, the must provide free entry to participate. This is where Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins come into play.

How do sweeps sites differ from real money poker sites?

Real-money poker sites and sweepstakes poker sites fall into different categories from a legal perspective. Traditional real-money poker rooms can only operate in states that explicitly legalize online gambling. Only a handful of states offer real-money online poker. That leaves most US players without access.

The biggest difference is how you play. At a traditional online poker site, you deposit money, play and cash out if you win. Sweeps is a bit different.

At Global Poker, for instance, players can compete in free-to-play games, as well as sweepstakes games. The free-to-play games use a virtual currency called “Gold Coins,” which functions as play money and can’t be redeemed for cash or prizes.

You can purchase gold coins in various packages, each of which comes with an amount of “Sweeps Coins” as a gift. Sweeps Coins (SC) can be used in the sweepstakes games at Global Poker, and you can redeem the SC you win in those games for cash prizes.

You can’t directly deposit money or purchase SC at Global Poker. SC is only available as a bonus with Gold Coins purchases, or through mail-in, social media, and login bonus offers.

Think of the SC games at Global Poker as an online poker sweepstakes, where you play with sweepstakes credits instead of cash.

Pros and cons of playing on sweeps/social poker sites

Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons associated with playing at a sweepstakes poker site:

While sweepstakes poker sites can present some limitations, they’re by far the best option for US players looking for a legitimate place to play online poker.

Top sweepstakes poker sites for US players

Of the sweepstakes poker sites available in the U.S., the four sites we’ve picked here are at the top of the list in terms of game selection, redemption speed, user experience and overall features.

You can find full reviews and see what the available sign-up bonuses are at each of these sites by visiting our review page. 

Clubs Poker

Clubs Poker is one of the more recent additions to the sweepstakes poker scene in the U.S. Available in 44 states, Clubs stands out by offering quite possibly the best selection of ring game variations of any US poker site.

You’ll find many different poker variants available in ring game format at Clubs, going well beyond the tried and true formats of No-Limit Hold’em and Pot-Limit Omaha. In addition to NLH and PLO, you’ll find Omaha Hi-Lo, 5-Card Omaha, 6-Card Omaha, Seven-Card Stud, Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo, HORSE, and 2-7 Single Draw.

The ring games also include fun features like bomb pots, straddles, run it twice, rabbit hunting, and a bad beat jackpot. These features give the ring games at Club Poker a fun and festive feel, much like live poker cash games.

Other game formats at Clubs Poker include Spin & Gos, All-in-or-Fold ring games, and, of course, tournaments.

The sweepstakes poker tournaments at Clubs haven’t quite reached the heights of Global Poker in terms of guarantees, player pools and special tournament series. Clubs Poker presents a very good sweeps poker platform overall though, and it’s a good bet that tournament players will find their way to Clubs in due time.

There’s no download required to play at Clubs Poker, and you also get access to sweepstakes casino games.

Stake.us Poker

Stake.us poker is a sweepstakes poker room attached to the Stake US sweepstakes casino. Stake.us operates as one of the top sweepstakes casinos available to U.S. players, and the combination of full-fledged casino and poker room makes Stake unique among any of its competitors.

Much like Clubs Poker. Stake.us is available in 44 U.S. states. The games available at Stake include ring games, Sit & Go, and tournaments.

Stake US Poker doesn’t quite have the variety of ring game variations that you’ll find at Clubs Poker. The games include No-Limit Hold’em and Pot-Limit Omaha.

Most of the players at the ring game tables come over from the casino side of Stake US, and the games are usually fun and quite profitable. You can generally find games running around the clock at the lowest stakes, but the higher-stakes games don’t run all the time.

Tournaments at Stake US aren’t quite up to par with Global Poker in terms of player traffic and prize pools. Still, if you want to play in fun games and build up your SC bankroll, several freerolls run every day at Stake.

ClubWPT

ClubWPT is the most unique product on our list of recommended sweeps poker sites. While Global, Stake, and Clubs all include the traditional lineup of ring games and tournaments, ClubWPT presents sweepstakes poker in an entirely different format.

Like the other sites on our list, ClubWPT offers both free-to-play games and sweepstakes games. The sweepstakes games are only available via monthly subscription.

ClubWPT’s sweepstakes tournaments are available in two tiers – VIP and Diamond. Both tiers award cash and prizes to players that finish “in the money,” but the Diamond tier awards the biggest prizes on the site by far.

The prizes on the line include sweepstakes credits that you can redeem for cash, “Passports” to World Poker Tour live events, and travel packages for WPT Voyage Luxury cruises.

ClubWPT draws a pool of casual, fun players. If you like a relaxed poker environment and want to win your way into a WPT live event, ClubWPT is an interesting and unique option among sweepstakes poker sites.

Global Poker

Global Poker was the first major sweepstakes poker site to launch in the U.S. market, debuting in 2016. Nearly a decade later, Global is still the gold standard for sweeps poker rooms.

Using the familiar dual-currency system of Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins, Global Poker offers ring games, tournaments, Jackpot Sit & Go and traditional Sit & Go games. Game variations include No-Limit Hold’em, Pot-Limit Omaha, Omaha Hi-Lo, and Crazy Pineapple.

What sets Global Poker apart from its competitors is the player traffic. At peak hours, you can find multiple games running at most stakes. The sweepstakes ring games start at SC 0.05/SC 0.10 stakes and go up SC 10/SC 20.

Tournaments at Global Poker include a robust schedule of daily events. You’ll also find special tournament festivals throughout the year. The tournament guarantees and prize pools at Global Poker are the biggest of any sweeps poker site by far.

While some of the newer sweeps poker sites have a more user-friendly interface, Global Poker presents the best all-around sweeps poker room available in the U.S.

How sweepstakes poker works

If you’ve played at a sweepstakes casino, you’ll recognize the dual-currency system used by most sweeps poker sites. The sweeps poker sites featured in this guide offer free-to-play game and sweepstakes games where you can redeem for cash prizes.

The free games and the sweepstakes games live on separate areas of a sweeps poker site, and each using a different virtual currency. Let’s take a look at how the dual-currency system works at a sweepstakes poker room.

2-minute explainer on the dual-currency system

Sweeps poker rooms utilize a dual-currency system, with virtual currencies called “Gold Coins” and “Sweeps Coins.” These currencies are abbreviated as “GC” and “SC” for clarity.

Gold Coins (GC) are play money credits that you can use in the free-to-play games at a sweepstakes poker room. You can purchase Gold Coins at any time, but GC can’t be redeemed for cash prizes.

Sweeps Coins (SC) are credits that you can use in the sweepstakes games at a sweeps poker site. SC can be redeemed for cash prizes.

You can’t directly purchase SC, but you can collect SC in the following ways:

• As a free gift when purchasing Gold Coins
• No-deposit bonus offers
• Mail-in offers
• Daily login bonuses
• Social media promotions

You don’t deposit money in a traditional sense at a sweepstakes poker site. The SC games essentially function as sweepstakes contests with poker as the game.

When you’re ready to redeem SC for cash prizes, you can usually do so via direct bank transfer or gift card redemption. SC generally redeem at a 1 SC equals $1 USD ratio.

Among the sweeps poker sites featured in this guide, note that ClubWPT doesn’t use the GC/SC system. The sweepstakes tournaments at ClubWPT are available via various monthly subscription packages.

How to purchase and redeem

Purchase options and minimum purchase amounts can vary across the different sweeps poker sites. Let’s take a look at a comparison table here:

Compare payment options

How to redeem sweeps coins in 5 easy steps

As we’ve discussed throughout this article, most of the sweeps poker sites listed here offer sweepstakes games with SC as the currency. SC can be redeemed for cash prizes.

Let’s take a look at how the redemption process works at Global Poker:

• Click on the “Get Coins” button at the top right corner of the main lobby
• On the next screen, click the “REDEEM PRIZE” button in the horizontal bar menu at the top
• Choose how much SC you wish to redeem
• Choose either the “Gift Card” or “Cash Prize” redemption method. The Gift Card method allows you to convert your SC into a USD gift card, while the Cash Prize method allows you to receive a direct bank transfer
• Gift card redemptions take 1-2 days to process, while Cash Prize redemptions usually take 3-5 days to process.

Compare redemption speed

Sweeps Coins are redeemable for USD at a 1-to-1 ratio. For example, if you redeem 50 SC at Global Poker, that converts to $50 USD.

Gold Coin and Sweeps Coin packages

Global Poker, Clubs Poker, and Stake US Poker all use the GC/SC dual-currency system. Keep in mind that you can only use GC in the free-to-play games at these sites, and that Gold Coins aren’t redeemable for cash prizes.

SC is used to play in sweepstakes poker games, and you can redeem SC for cash prizes.

Switching between the two currencies is easy. Using Global Poker as the example, the top right of the main lobby displays your SC balance and your GC balance (circled in red in the screenshot below):

When you click on your SC balance, the game menu displays all of the sweepstakes games available. The ring game stakes and tournament buy-in amounts will all be denoted with “SC” at the front. For example, the SC 10/20 PLO game is a Pot-Limit Omaha ring game running at SC 10/20 stakes.

You can click on your GC balance to bring up all of the available Gold Coins games. These play money games will all be denoted with “GC” stakes.

Free Sweeps Coins through Gold Coins, social media and contests

You can accumulate Sweeps Coins as a free gift when you buy Gold Coins packages. That isn’t the only way to collect SC, however.

Other promotions that allow you to get SC include:

• Sign-up bonus: You can sign up for a new account using our promo codes and collect SC through the various no-purchase-necessary bonuses offered by the sites. Visit our review pages for the latest promo codes and bonus offers.
• Social media promotions: Sweeps poker sites often give away SC through various social media offers. Be sure to follow your sweepstakes poker site of choice on all of their social media channels for the best chance at scoring some free SC through these giveaways.
• Daily login bonuses: Daily login bonuses award free SC for each day you log in to your account. At Clubs Poker, for instance, you can claim your daily bonus by clicking the “Get Coins” button in the main lobby, then clicking on the “Claim your FREE Daily Bonus” button.
• Mail-in offers: Mail-in offers allow you to submit a request for free SC through the mail. Let’s dive into how these offers work in the next section.

Mail-in offers

Virtually all sweepstakes poker sites (and sweepstakes casino) extend mail-in offers for free SC. The basics of these offers are very similar across the different sites.

You must follow a set of very specific instructions when you send your mail-in offer. Those instructions are found in the “Sweeps Rules” section of a sweepstakes poker site.

Let’s look at an example of how to claim the mail-in offer at Clubs Poker:

Obtain a Postal Request Code

Each mail-in entry must have a unique Postal Request Code. You can find this code by:

• Clicking on the “Get Coins” button in the main lobby
• Clicking on the “Free Entry” button
• Clicking on the “Start the Process” link

From there, follow the prompts to get a unique Postal Request Code. Note that you must go through this process for every mail-in entry you send to Clubs Poker.

Sending the Request

Each mail-in request must follow a set of exact instructions explained in Club Poker’s Sweepstakes Rules. We’ll go through a brief overview of those details here, but be sure you have the Sweepstakes Rules page open and you follow the instructions from there when you’re writing your request.

You must write the request on a 4″ by 6″ piece of paper or postcard. The paper must be unfolded, blank, and unlined.

On one side of the piece of paper, write the following:

• The unique Postal Request Code in the top-left corner
• Your full name as shown on your government-issued ID
• The email address you used to register for your Clubs Poker account
• The state of residence registered to your Clubs Poker account
• The following statement: “I wish to receive Sweeps Coins to participate in the sweepstakes promotions offered by Clubs Poker. By submitting this request, I hereby declare that I have read, understood and agree to be bound by Clubs Poker’s Terms of Use and Sweepstakes Rules.”

Once you have all of this information written on your piece of paper or postcard, use a #10 stamped envelope to send the entry into the address specified in the Sweeps Rules. Be sure to write your return address on the envelope, as well as the phrase “Sweeps Entries.”

You can mail up to 50 separate requests, and each request will net you 5 SC. Once you send the request, you can expect your SC to appear in your account in 4-6 weeks.

Games and variations available

The games at a sweeps poker site operate identically to the games you might find on a real-money poker site. The key difference is that you are playing for either SC (sweepstakes credits) or GC (play money credits) instead of competing directly for cash.

The games on the menu at sweeps poker sites include:

Tournaments

Multi-table tournaments are the most popular way to play poker around the world, and the same goes for sweepstakes poker sites.

In a poker tournament, you buy in for a specified amount, get a predetermined amount of chips, and compete against other players in a battle to see who will finish in first place. The object of a poker tournament is to be the last player standing; when you lose all of your chips you’re eliminated.

Tournaments offer the best way to achieve the poker dream and win huge prizes. Some of the biggest tournaments at Global Poker, for example, award six-figure guaranteed prize pools.

Ring games

In a poker ring game, you sit down with a certain amount of money (or SC in the case of sweepstakes casinos), and put that money in play while competing against other players.

For example, if you play in an SC 1/SC 2 ring game, you can generally put a maximum of SC 200 on the table when you begin. You can play as long or as little as you want, and leave the game at any time.

Ring games are great if you don’t want to commit to a tournament, which can take several hours to play down to a winner. The prizes up for grabs in tournaments are much bigger than they are in ring games, however.

Sit & Gos

Sit & Gos function as one-table tournaments. The rules for a Sit & Go are the same as they are for a tournament, but you only compete against players at your table. When the table gets down to one person, the game ends.

Another variation of Sit & Gos, known as Spin & Gos or Jackpot Sit & Gos, are three-player tournaments where the prizes on the line are determined by a random spin at the beginning of the game. These tournaments are among the most popular games offered at a sweepstakes poker site.

Game variations

Just about all sweeps poker sites offer No-Limit Texas Hold’em and Pot-Limit Omaha poker games. Some sites (particularly Clubs Poker) go far beyond these basic poker offerings and present many other different game types.

The sites featured in this guide offer some or all of the following game types:

• No-Limit Hold’em
• Pot-Limit Omaha
• Omaha Hi-Lo
• 5-Card Omaha
• 6-Card Omaha
• Seven-Card Stud
• Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo
• HORSE
• 2-7 Single Draw
• Crazy Pineapple

Ring game stakes usually start at SC 0.01/SC 0.02 and go up to SC 10/SC 20. Tournament buy-ins can range from SC 1 up to SC 220 and occasionally higher.

Players looking for high-stakes games probably won’t find much action above SC 10/SC 20. If you’re looking for anything from the micro stakes up to mid-stakes action, however, you’ll find plenty of games running at most times of the day.

How to play for real money prizes

You can’t directly compete for cash at a sweepstakes poker site, but you can compete for real cash prizes. The tournaments and cash games at a sweeps poker site function identically as the would at a real-money online poker site or live poker room. The sweepstakes games use Sweeps Coins as currency instead of cash.

You can redeem your SC winnings at a rate of 1:1 SC to USD. When you want to redeem your Sweeps Coins, navigate to the same menu you use to purchase SC, then look for the “Redeem” option.

Note that you must meet a site’s playthrough requirements before you can redeem SC. Minimum redemption values and methods can vary from site to site.

You can usually redeem your SC as either a gift card or a direct bank transfer. In the case of Stake.us, all purchases and redemptions are conducted with cryptocurrency.

Final thoughts

While US players have limited access to full-scale, real-money online poker, sweepstakes poker rooms provide an easy option to enjoy the games we love and compete for cash prizes. While sweepstakes poker sites might not offer truly high-stakes games, the ring games and tournaments available should satisfy the vast majority of players.